Free Golf In A Parallel Universe by Jimmy Bloodworth

popular players tee off later when the crowds are bigger. They have me tee off at 10:45am which is pretty late. I work on the range for a while hitting a few balls. Then I work on putting and chipping and just getting ready for the tournament. Zack, my caddie is with me every step of the way. Finally we finish up and we are in the clubhouse ready to head out to the Tee Box. Zack asked me how I feel. “Great! I am so ready," I replied. Then I told him, that I appreciate how he has stuck with me the last few years, and I will make a commitment to work on my game and make both of us some money. He just laughed and said don’t worry about it.
    Then it time to go to the first Tee for our Tee Off Time. As we walk out the door, I feel so confident. I am excited but I also feel calm and cool. Not too amped up, but ready to go out and have a good round. I feel like I am going to play well today. As we go out the door and walk to the first tee, a TV camera follows behind me as we walk past the crowds to the tee. “Wow this is Different," I say to myself. I guess when you win a masters you get a little more attention. As I walk to the tee a few people hold out their hands and I give them a little side “High Five." We make it to the Tee and shake hands with the officials and the other players and exchange Pleasantries. After playing on the tour for ten years, I am really not nervous on the first tee anymore. But sometimes just a few butterflies. Today, I am not nervous at all. I am so ready for this. I am playing with in a threesome with Dave Harrison and Anthony Marucci. I just feel like this is my day.
    And then I start to look around after all the handshaking etc. I look down the fairway and I see all these people lined up on each side of the fairway. From the tee box all the way to the fairway. Just like I have seen a million times before. I look back at the players and the officials and there are people in the back of the tee box, just like I have seem a million times before. I look around and see all that is going on. I feel confused. All of a sudden I am terrified! That little voice or emotion that has been cheering me on the last few days, is absolutely freaking out. “Look all these people!” “My God." “I cannot hit a golf ball with all these people," that voice screams out in my head. At this point, I am so nervous I think I am going to throw up. I do not understand. I am never nervous like this. I know I have done this a many times as a professional golfer. But I truly feel like this is the very first time I have ever stepped up on the first tee of a professional golf tournament. I tell myself this, must be some weird emotion after winning my first major. My caddie Zack is busy getting ready and then he looks at me. I must have been as white as sheet.
    “You OK Jim?," he asked. Somehow compose myself “yea, yea, I am fine," I replied. The starter starts to talk. “Ok guys we will get you started," he told us. “Ladies and Gentlemen, next on the Tee from Trenton New Jersey, Dave Harrison." Everyone claps and he tips his cap. I am like “Oh My God," I cannot believe I am here. He hit his drive right down the middle and the gallery claps and cheers. I see him hit and I am thinking “Wow! Look at that shot, look how far it is going." Then I start arguing with myself. “What do you mean, it is just a normal shot that a professional Golfer would hit?," I tell myself. I feel like I have two people in my brain at this point. One is the guy I know, professional golfer for ten years, then this emotion or voice or whatever the last few days which is so excited about golf is amazed to see a good professional golf shot. That other emotion is freaking out. And at this point it is my dominant emotion.
    Then they introduce Anthony Marucci. “ Ladies and Gentlemen, from Detroit Michigan Anthony Maruccii. I am thinking, “My God, they are introducing our names." Anthony acknowledges the crowd and hits a good shot down the